Wendy Robertson – författare

In years of industrial change and the cataclysm of the Great War, the lives of two young people intertwine... In Riches of the Earth, Wendy Robertson writes a moving saga of two young people, whose happiness is blighted by family, tragedy and war. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Dilly Court.''A powerful writer inspired by history, her much loved home region and her experience of working-class life at its poorest and most difficult'' - Mail on Sunday1895, County Durham. The Laydon Joneses are new to Selby Street and appear to be just another Welsh family come to work the local mines. But Carodoc Laydon Jones, dour and unforgiving, is a force to be reckoned with, be it down the pit, at chapel or in his own house where he rules with an iron fist. His daughter Susannah has inherited his strength but is determined not to take on his bitterness. This is part of the reason she is deeply intrigued by Jonty Clelland, a young pacifist schoolmaster, who is everything her father is not. But just when it seems that the attraction between them might finally blossom into love, an unthinkable tragedy occurs... What readers are saying about Riches of the Earth: ''Superb characterisation adds to the wonderful, unfolding story''''Five stars''

A family feud and one fateful night result in tragedy... Under a Brighter Sky is a powerful and evocative saga by Wendy Robertson that tells the tale of two families, a bitter rivalry and the dramatic repercussions of one dark night. Perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Katie Flynn.The Catholic Farrells and the non-conformist McNaughtons live in the same Durham mining village. It is only when the Farrells'' Aunt Biddy arrives from Ireland that the two clans finally meet, albeit disastrously. After this meeting it is the McNaughtons who are forced to look after Aunt Biddy and although Greg''s family is divided by Biddy''s presence, his thoughts remain with Biddy''s bright young niece, Shona Farrell. It''s at Shona''s insistence that they all spend Christmas together. But the events of Boxing Night, when Margaret McNaughton is found wandering the streets and a local prostitute is murdered, leaves the finger of guilt pointing at Tommo Farrell. Distraught, Shona follows Tommo''s trail to Manchester, a trail which Douglas McNaughton is treading for reasons of his own... What readers are saying about Wendy Robertson: ''The gift of a true writer is in the telling of stories and characters that stay with you long after you close the book - and Wendy Robertson is one of those writers''''A skilful, imaginative novelist''''Five stars''

Just when she finds happiness, fate threatens to take it away... Wendy Robertson weaves a spellbinding saga in A Dark Light Shining - a tale of love, friendship and new beginnings. Perfect for fans of Rita Bradshaw and Dilly Court.''An intense and moving story set against the bitter squalor of the hunger-ridden thirties'' - TodayBlighted by unemployment, County Durham''s New Morven in the 1930s is for most a place to flee from. But eccentric Jenefer Loumis and her war-scarred husband are there by choice and when Fionnoula Montague meets them, she feels more alive than she has ever done. Jenefer Loumis seems to understand the young girl in a way her own tyrannical mother has never done. For it is Jenefer who knows what Finn is experiencing when she meets unemployed miner, Michael O''Toole. But after Finn is attacked, and Michael imprisoned, even Jenefer cannot stop Finn''s decline. But then Jenefer has a plan that for a short time is to transport Finn to a world Jenefer herself once inhabited, a world of gloss and glitter that returns Finn to New Morven a very different young woman... What readers are saying about A Dark Light Shining: ''The gift of a true writer is in the telling of stories and characters that stay with you long after you close the book - and Wendy Robertson is one of those writers''''A Dark Light Shining is rooted in real experiences, and has a heightened vitality and truthfulness''''A skilful, imaginative novelist''

A moving saga of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances... From the medieval spires of Coventry to the clustered pit villages of the north, Wendy Robertson''s powerful saga, Land of Your Possession, traces lives changed irrevocably by war. Perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Rita Bradshaw. ''This wonderful historical saga has to be on your reading list'' - Women''s Realm1940. German bombers target Coventry nightly, but pregnant young mother Lizza King is reluctant to leave the city and her husband Roland. Only after her daughter is killed in a raid does Lizza leave for south Durham.While Priorton is safer from enemy attack, it is not without drama. Lizza''s sister is still recovering from being raped. Her nephew dreams of heroic deeds, while toying with Josie''s affections. Josie is growing up herself, working in the munitions factory by day and dancing the nights away. And Lizza, awaiting the birth of her baby while her husband is increasingly distant, is irresistibly drawn to the Polish refugee and artist, Krystoff, who alone understands her. What readers are saying about Wendy Robertson: ''The gift of a true writer is in the telling of stories and characters that stay with you long after you close the book - and Wendy Robertson is one of those writers''''A skilful, imaginative novelist''''Five stars''

An abandoned baby. A troubled childhood. A search for belonging. Kitty Rainbow is a gripping Victorian saga, and the first instalment of the Kitty Rainbow trilogy from Wendy Robertson, that follows a young woman''s discovery of where her heart truly belongs. Perfect for fans of Cathy Sharp and Josephine Cox. When the soft-hearted, bare-knuckle fighter Ishmael Slaughter rescues an abandoned baby from the swirling River Wear, he knows that if he returns home with her his predatory employer will give the child short shrift - or worse. So it is to Janine Druce, a Scottish draperwoman with a dubious reputation but a child of her own that he takes the baby - whom he has christened Kitty Rainbow. Kitty grows up wild and stubborn in Janine''s tough household but she is as fierce in her affections as she is in her hatreds. And she saves her greatest affection for Ishmael, the now ageing boxer who is the only link with her true parentage - apart from the scrap of blue cloth she was wrapped in when he found her. Eventually the cloth leads Kitty to her true origins - a discovery that shakes the very essence of her being - but eventually allows her to resume the life she so passionately embraces... What readers are saying about Kitty Rainbow: ''Wendy Robertson draws such a realistic picture of a town in the northeast of England in the nineteenth century''''Peopled with strong characters, good and bad, rich and poor, that the reader endures Kitty''s hardships and fights her battles with her, cheers when she wins and worries with Ishmael about what is to become of her''''Five stars''

An encounter with a dying Frenchman changes a young woman''s life forever... In the second instalment of the Kitty Rainbow trilogy by Wendy Robertson, Children of the Storm is a passionate saga of tragedy, love and madness during the First World War. Perfect for fans of Rita Bradshaw and Sheila Newberry.The First World War. Pupil-teacher Mara Scorton''s world is one of ill-lit classrooms and the sight of unshod feet shining purplish in the cold winter light. And, though she is little more than a girl herself, Mara loves her job in the Hartlepool dockland school, despite the imperious ways of her headmaster Mr Clonmel. But her world falls apart when a German warship demolishes the school and Mr Clonmel is killed. Mara is handed a mysterious package by a dying Frenchman addressed to his children in her home town of Priorton. Mara returns home, accompanied by her annoying but seemingly harmless landlady, to her warm unorthodox family. And to the house of Jean-Paul and his deranged, damaged sister Helene - two French refugees who will have long-lasting effect on the stormy years to come... What readers are saying about Children of the Storm: ''Wendy Robertson tells an absorbing story with strong women battling against the odds''''The setting moves from the northeast of England to the trenches in France and the makeshift hospitals in Russia, and all are vividly depicted''''Five stars''

The war may be over, but will they find peace? A Thirsting Land is the third and final instalment of the Kitty Rainbow Trilogy by Wendy Robertson, which sees Kitty''s granddaughter, Kay, struggling to cope with the aftermath of the Second World War. Perfect for fans of Pam Evans and Nadine Dorries. ''Her most assured yet. It''s a cross between the yarn-spinning style of Catherine Cookson and the powerful literary talent of Pat Barker'' - Sunderland Echo1946: For the widowed young mother Kay Fitzpatrick, the return from the all-enveloping heat of wartime Alexandria to the chill of post-war England is both an alien experience and a homecoming. For Laurenz and Patrizia Gold, Jewish refugees scarred by their flight from Nazi-occupied Austria, the bleak repatriation camp outside Priorton represents a chance to establish new roots. While lonely Kay struggles to find an identity of her own in a town full of family history, Laurenz Gold''s ruthless hunger will stop at nothing to make his new life a success. But, in a land slowly recovering from the exhaustion of war, will the tormented past which drives Laurenz so fiercely destroy the fragile hopes of those around him? What readers are saying about A Thirsting Land: ''Wendy Robertson has a wonderful way of interweaving all her very different characters, bringing them together from far and near and blending their stories'' ''All emotions leap off the pages - joy, sadness, terror, sympathy, love, hate - making an absorbing read''''Five stars''

Can a troubled family hope for a better tomorrow? In Wendy Robertson''s The Jagged Window, a family face tragedy, suspicion and upheaval, yet for the youngest daughter, this leads to new discoveries about her family and herself. Perfect for fans of Lindsey Hutchinson and Dilly Court.''If you like a homespun yarn, you''ll love this'' - Belfast TelegraphEdward Maichin is the golden boy of the Chapels. But at home, Edward''s hidden darkness runs riot: his Irish Catholic mother, has no control over him since his father, Ellis, fled to America; his two brothers, Rhys and Caspar, live in fear of him. Only Theo, his imaginative younger sister, dares defy him. A suspicious death halts Edward''s rise, forcing the family out of the valley, to the mines of the North-East, where Theo''s talent for writing begins to match her brother''s skills in social climbing. But when Theo takes a position as companion to a strange old woman, she discovers a family even more complex and vulnerable than her own... What readers are saying about Wendy Robertson: ''The gift of a true writer is in the telling of stories and characters that stay with you long after you close the book - and Wendy Robertson is one of those writers''''Excellent''''Five stars''

The power of friendship sees two young women through the tough times ahead... My Dark-Eyed Girl is an arresting, tender saga of two women''s lives, loves and sorrows from much-loved author Wendy Robertson. Perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Cathy Sharp.''Wendy''s great strength, as well as the ability to tell a good story, is in the creation of her characters. These are real people with faults and strengths so we actually care about them... Wendy''s style is deceptively easy'' - Northern EchoAfter nursing in the Spanish Civil War, Susan is relieved to set foot on English soil again. By her side is a beautiful, young Spanish woman, Chichu, who has lost her whole family in the fight against Franco and only kept her own life by fleeing. But adjusting to life in England isn''t easy; Chichu''s foreign temperament is often met with suspicion, and Susan, who discovers that a tragic love affair has left her pregnant, also faces hostility. In desperation they return to Susan''s childhood home, a farm on the Durham fells - now run by a reclusive farmer. But their peace is short-lived as the threat of the Second World War reaches the countryside and Chichu is interned. Unwillingly, Susan turns to Spanish War veteran Aaron Maichin for help, a man whom neither she nor Chichu ever trusted... What readers are saying about My Dark-Eyed Girl: ''Love, laughter and great characters''''A great story with exceptional characters''''Five stars''

In Singapore, a family are tested by the onset of the Second World War... The Long Journey Home is an unforgettable saga from Wendy Robertson of friendship, love and sacrifice during the Second World War. Perfect for fans of Harry Bowling and Dilly Court.''A spellbinding story - you''ll find it hard to put down'' - Sunderland EchoFor ten-year-old Sylvie Sambuck, Singapore seems a long way from the fighting of the Second World War. However the advancing Japanese army soon leads to a mass evacuation of the island but, as Sylvie''s family begins to board their ship, there is no sign of Sylvie. Somehow, in the confusion, Sylvie finds refuge with her governess, Virginia Chen. But neither Virginia nor her family believe they will escape the Japanese internment camps, where Virginia may have to pay the ultimate price for Sylvie''s survival. What readers are saying about The Long Journey Home: ''A superbly written book''''This is the first book I''ve read in ages that made me want to go to bed early so I could read it in peace, and go to sleep late as I didn''t want to put it down''''Five stars''

A saga of a divided family and the unwanted child who reunites them. Honesty''s Daughter is a compelling saga from Wendy Robertson that reaches out from Durham to Colorado Springs to wartime France, and links the lives, passions, tragedies and triumphs of a troubled family. Perfect for fans of Josephine Cox and Rosie Goodwin.''Robertson handles skilfully a transitional world in which both values and people change. A heart-rending tale of love and hardship'' - Lancashire Evening PostCarmel Benbow''s first love has always been her garden and, since her husband''s death, little else has occupied her. But her children, long-starved of a mother''s affections are suffering. Seventeen-year-old Michael John is a vicious bully, his younger brother, Ambrose, his primary target, and Astrid, the eldest, is embroiled in a highly unsuitable affair. As the First World War approaches, the family is on the verge of disintegration, but help comes from an unusual source. Keziah, a lifelong friend, traveller and horse-dealer, uses her controversial magic on the family, but will her influence be enough to rescue Michael John from himself, Ambrose from Michael John and Astrid from her lover? What readers are saying about Honesty''s Daughter: ''This is a [well] rounded story with a lovely flavour of Co. Durham''''The characters are delightful''''A very warm read - five stars''

How well do we really know the ones we love? Wendy Robertson''s The Woman Who Drew Buildings is a powerful portrayal of the unbreakable bond between a mother and her son. Perfect for fans of Josephine Cox and Rosie Goodwin.As Adam Matheve walks towards his mother''s house, to see her for the first time in two years, he has just one hope - to forge the bond with her for which he''s always yearned. Enigmatic Marie Matheve has spent her life indulging her passion for drawing buildings. Now, after a dangerous fall, she lies unconscious, her life slipping away. All Adam can do is wait in desperate hope for her recovery. But as time passes Adam begins to unravel the mystery of his mother''s past and discovers how little he really knows about the woman who raised him... What readers are saying about Wendy Robertson: ''The gift of a true writer is in the telling of stories and characters that stay with you long after you close the book - and Wendy Robertson is one of those writers''''A skilful, imaginative novelist''''Five stars''

Will she have the courage to face her past...? When the bright lights of the theatre collide with the old values of a small community, the stage is quite literally set for a tale of passion, drama and tragedy in No Rest For the Wicked, a gripping saga from much-loved author Wendy Robertson. Perfect for fans of Rita Bradshaw and Rosie Goodwin.In the poverty-stricken years after the First World War, a travelling troupe of players arrives in the small Northern village of Bishop Auckland. With them is Pippa, a young French girl who has her own secrets. For her, and for so many of her companions, the troupe provides a sanctuary from the outside world. Protected by the lights, make-up and costumes, none of them notices what is going on underneath their very noses.But when something tragic happens in the town within days of Pippa''s arrival, she is forced to start examining her old life and looking forward to a new one, no matter what the cost... What readers are saying about Wendy Robertson: ''The gift of a true writer is in the telling of stories and characters that stay with you long after you close the book - and Wendy Robertson is one of those writers''''A skilful, imaginative novelist''''Five stars''

Can a family survive the shocking secret that threatens to change their whole world? Family Ties is a powerful saga from much-loved author, Wendy Robertson, which charts the ties that bind a family together across four generations. Perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Dilly Court.''Skilfully marries fact and fiction into an epic tale that has you turning the pages at high speed to match the pace of this compelling story'' - Sunderland EchoIn 1991, Bronwen Carmichael is a student at Durham University. Researching aspects of the Second World War, she comes across her mother Rosa''s journal, written in 1954 when Rosa was thirteen and England was recovering from the war. And, as Bronwen discovers, it was a dark time in Rosa''s childhood too.At the heart of the diary is a deep family secret which now, fifty years later, could severely disturb the self-contained Carmichael women. This secret has tied the family - matriarch Kate, writer Rosa, academic Bronwen, and daughter Lily - with invisible cords which now threaten to break and change the family forever... What readers are saying about Family Ties: ''This is a compelling read from beginning to end''''An intriguing family [saga] full of mystery''''Five stars''

Just as she finally finds happiness, the past changes everything... Wendy Robertson weaves two intertwining love stories, from the past and the present, into The Lavender House, a compelling and touching saga. Perfect for fans of Sheila Newberry and Lindsey Hutchinson. In 2004, young social worker Sophia Morgan escapes from traumatic experiences at home in the North to train as a journalist in London. On the track of a story she ends up in North London where she falls in love with a tiny house painted lavender, moves in and makes friends with the occupants of her city street. There''s the independent Bobbi, aged ten, whose widowed father Sparrow seems to have vanished; the dreamy architect Steve who was born in the street, and the elderly Julia who wears hotpants and still thinks it''s 1969. Despite its attractions the Lavender House proves to have a sinister history and, as its secrets emerge, events in gangland London of the 1960s begin to cast their shadows forward to the present day and changes the lives of Sophia and her new friends forever. What readers are saying about The Lavender House: ''A compelling story''''The drama is interspersed with deep friendship and some very interesting characters''''Five stars''

In the swinging sixties, one young woman''s life changes forever... In Sandie Shaw and the Millionth Marvell Cooker, Wendy Robertson writes an enchanting story of friendship and self-discovery, packed with warmth, drama and hope. Perfect for fans of Kate Thompson and Elaine Everest.It''s the summer of 1965; rock and roll music rules the airwaves as innocent student Cassandra reluctantly begins temporary work at the Marvell cooker factory in Grafton. But little does she know that the events which follow will change her life for ever.So, as Marvell prepares for the arrival of singing sensation Sandie Shaw, Cassandra learns that, for some of the workers, even bigger events are taking place off the clock. And as the sound of the sixties sings out from the Tannoy, the extraordinary stories behind the lives of the workers within unfold... What readers are saying about Sandie Shaw and the Millionth Marvell Cooker: ''[The] characters come alive - from the manager down to the schoolgirl temp, they''re all very realistic and very different''''Well written and hilarious story''''Five stars''